This issue of SAR is very special to me, personally. I am a US Army veteran, and after years of running our “Cookies from Home for Shooters” program, where we send some copies of SAR to deployed US service members at no charge, we have finally found a way to send several thousand to be handed out in Iraq. I know that we always wanted hunting, fishing, car, etc magazines to read. I also know that the troops today generally don’t have to queue up by a single phone today in the hopes of calling home. There are Internet connections available and things are more instantaneous. That doesn’t mean some good reading material won’t be appreciated, I am sure. This issue is now being read by our troops. We at SAR want you to know that we support you, support what you are doing, you are in our prayers every day, and we want you to do the job and come home safe. In the meantime, you have our thanks, and we remember what it is like to be far from home and be somewhat isolated in a strange and dangerous environment. We hope that this copy of the magazine you are reading gives you some enjoyment, some good information, and lets you know that there are a lot of parents, friends, and brothers and sisters back home who enjoy military firearms, the technology, and history, and we are supportive of your service. You can send us pictures of unusual firearms or weapons that you find. If you want us to print them, don’t forget to put in what it is, where it is, and who is in the picture, unit, etc. We don’t mind a “Hi Mom!” pic or two, as long as it has some interesting weapons in it for the readers to view. Send to my attention at sareview@aol.com for review.

This issue is also being handed out at the Modern Day Marine Show at Quantico, the Association of the United States Army Show in DC, the National Guard Show in Honolulu, and the Gun Rights Policy Conference. If you are reading this from one of these shows, please let us know what you like about us, and what you might like to see in future issues. Don’t forget, if you have unusual stories about military firearms, or pictures of rare guns or events, we would like to bring them to the readers.

On the home front, I just heard the news that the NRA convention in 2007 has been moved out of Columbus, Ohio due to the new anti-Second Amendment law that was locally passed. Columbus has decided that a hodge-podge of so called “assault rifles” are no longer legal in their city despite the fact that there is absolutely no correlation between law abiding citizens owning these weapons and any threat to society. Years ago, when the NRA Convention was held in Philadelphia, we were all appalled that the leadership didn’t shift gears and move somewhere else while the elected officials of that city attacked firearms ownership by trying to destroy the manufacturers of firearms. Now, it seems, the NRA leadership has had enough, and they simply pulled the plug on putting any money into the local economy of Columbus. Bravo on that! We at SAR applaud that decision, and suggest they look for someplace that is much friendlier to firearms ownership than most US cities that have elected officials with political axes to grind. I have to wonder if they moved the 2007 NRA convention just a little south of the Ohio border- perhaps to Bullitt County, Kentucky, where the Knob Creek Range is located, if they wouldn’t have a better reception. While it might not be entirely practical, it’s worth a thought. It’s always better to go where you are appreciated and spend your money.

-Dan

This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V9N1 (October 2005)and was posted online on April 12, 2013